Nutrition Services

Nutritional Services provided include: home total parenteral nutrition (TPN or I.V. nutrition), enteral nutrition (tube feedings) and oral pediatric nutrition (infant formulas).

The Clinical Dietician will assess and monitor weight gain and/or loss of each patient and recommend appropriate nutritional formula changes in consultation with the nutritional support pharmacist and physician.

• Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) is often prescribed for patients who have bowel obstructions, short bowel syndrome or other medical conditions that prevent the body from properly digesting food. Patients with these kinds of conditions must be fed intravenously with nutritional containing amino acids, dextrose, electrolytes, essential fatty acids and vitamins. Nutritional support pharmacists and clinical nutritionists assess the specific nutritional requirements of each patient based on weight, height, age, gender, disease state and other information and then recommend a formula that best meets the needs of the patient.
• Enteral Nutrition is often utilized or at least attempted before TPN is instituted because of its ease of administration and because it is less costly. Patients being tube fed through a nasogastric tube or other methods receive their nutrition from commercially available nutritional formulas. The clinical nutritionist will assess and evaluate the nutritional needs of each patient and then recommend a commercially available product to the physician in order to adequately support the patient.